


make the moves up as i go

by CerinityKS



Series: as it begins [4]
Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:15:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4866107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerinityKS/pseuds/CerinityKS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a collection of snippets that look into the lives of Mark and Chris within the universe of my fic '<a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4820645">burning it down</a>', and the subsequent stories in the <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/327350">series</a>.</p><p>*new* snippet #2 - Chris thinks about some things and comes to an important decision.<br/>snippet #1 - an interviewer asks Chris an important question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. this love

**Author's Note:**

> tags will be added as they become relevant to the different snippets posted, so atm there isn't much to tag.
> 
> these will all be fics that either won't/can't fit into any other fic in this series, or are too small to be made into a fic of their own, and so they're all gonna be collected here. 
> 
> title for this snippet taken from 'this love' by taylor swift, naturally ~~(i think it's safe to say that my writing soudtrack for this series is 1989 by taylor swift and i have no regrets about this)~~

When asked, almost a year after returning to earth (once his relationship with Mark was made public, after the media attention had _finally_ started to wane, _just a little_ , only to come back in full force at the revelation), just what it was about Mark Watney that Chris fell in love with, he had to stop to think.

To think about the way Mark smiled at him, so bright and full of adoration, the way his eyes softened and the tense lines of his body disappeared, the way he leaned into Chris’s space and just _filled_ it at only the _sight_ of Chris. 

Thought about the way Mark got so fully immersed in his work that he could lose hours when he was doing something he really _loved_ , how he threw everything into his passion and didn’t stop until he had the results he was looking for. How he so clearly _loved_ what he did, the way he could talk for _hours_ about it and everything under the sky involved with his field (including his hatred for potatoes that Chris found utterly hilarious). 

The way Mark scrunched his nose whenever something he didn’t like was happening. Like whenever Chris stopped touching him before he was ready, because even if he’d been off of Mars for more than two years now being unable to _touch_ a person was still something Mark hadn’t grown tired of (especially if that person was Chris). 

How, when Mark got really excited, he started to talk with his hands, sometimes so wildly that if you weren’t aware and got too close, chances were he’d probably smack you on accident. Which lead to the way, when Mark was embarrassed, he’d flush so deeply, the blush trailing down his neck and onto his chest (and, with thorough observation, Chris discovered the delicious blush appeared much _farther_ down as well). 

The way Mark was unashamed about the things he loved, like comics, or vintage TV shows. How passionately he defended his favorite characters, how _insulted_ he got when Chris teased him about it, deliberately bungling facts to see the way Mark would stop what he was doing and demand Chris let him ‘educate him.’ 

Thought about how _strong_ Mark was; he’d survived something impossible, something that should have killed him, and probably _would_ have killed anyone else. Mark had an inherent strength, something he didn’t seem to realize, but Chris _couldn’t_ help but see. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Mark was probably the strongest person he knew, not because he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, bend and break, but because he _allowed_ himself to, and then got right back up and forged on, stronger. He knew his shortcomings and accepted him, knew when to ask for help when he needed to (even when he stubbornly thought he was right and the other person was wrong, he still wouldn’t discount their opinion). 

Chris thought about all of this, and knew he just didn’t have the words to convey how he felt about Mark Watney. There was so much to his love for the man, so much that was indescribable, that sometimes he felt like he was drowning in it, but he never wanted to be saved. 

So instead Chris smirked and shrugged nonchalantly, then replied, 

“It was the potatoes.”


	2. wildest dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris thinks about some things and comes to an important decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompted by [yensasha](http://yensasha.tumblr.com/) on tumblr - #3 (things you said too quietly) and beckwatney, hope you enjoy it dear x

An hour after leaving Mark alone to clean up after his Mars rescue, Chris finally re-entered the room. He was unsurprised to find Mark already asleep, dressed comfortably in the clean clothes Chris had provided. Now that Mark was clean Chris could see the damage more clearly.

Mark had definitely lost weight, and muscle mass, but there wasn’t much that could be done in the Hermes with the limited supplies they had. He’d have to run some more tests but Chris knew Mark was likely malnourished. 

Chris would also have to ask Mark about any injuries he’d sustained on Mars when he woke once more so he could check to see if there would be any lasting damage. 

He stopped next to the bed and stared down at Mark, tracing the contours of the other man’s face with his eyes. 

It was hard to believe that it had really happened, that the plan had worked and that Mark was really here. Chris had spent so long believing that Mark was dead, and then feeling so _guilty_ because it turned out Mark was alive but it was _him_ that pronounced Mark dead. _Him_ that made the call that left Mark alone on Mars for nearly two years, trying to survive a planet that kept trying to kill him. 

“I missed you,” he breathed, cautious of waking Mark; he deserved all the sleep he could get after all. 

Chris reached out cautiously and ran a hand, feather light, across the skin of Mark’s cheek. He traced slowly up the curve of Mark’s nose, across his forehead, then down the edge of his face to rest on the sharp lines of his jaw. 

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” he whispered, and Mark twitched in his sleep. Chris froze, worried he’d woken the other man, but Mark was still sleeping. He let out another distressed noise, twitching a bit harder, and Chris realized with a jolt that Mark must be having a nightmare. 

He frowned, hating the fact that Mark’s sleep, probably the first decent chance of sleep he’d have had in a while, was being disturbed by a nightmare. Chris sat down at the edge of the bed and ran a hand through Mark’s hair, slowly shushing him and whispering nonsense things. 

He kept it up for a few minutes and slowly, so slowly, Mark quieted and settled. Chris waited a few extra minutes, just to be sure, but once he was satisfied that Mark was fine he smiled. 

His heart clenched as Mark sighed in his sleep and appeared to turn towards Chris, subconsciously seeking him out. 

If things hadn’t happened the way they had, if Mark hadn’t been stranded on Mars, they’d be back on Earth already, and maybe Chris would have had a chance to tell Mark how he felt. Maybe Mark would have felt the same, and maybe they’d be together. 

But things _had_ happened the way they had, and Chris hadn’t had a chance to tell Mark anything. Instead he’d turned to Beth, and even though he still felt so strongly for Mark, he couldn’t turn his back on her, not when he had genuine feelings for her as well. He didn’t want to be that kind of asshole. 

So, knowing he wouldn’t have another chance to say it, he pressed a soft kiss to Mark’s cheek and breathed out a barely audible “I love you.” 

Then he stood up and left the room, determined to try to move past these feelings. Mark didn’t need him to be distracted by this; he needed a doctor, and more importantly, he needed Chris to be his _friend_. 

And Chris was determined to give Mark what he needed, whether he knew it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find [this](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/post/130238245466/hi-if-youre-still-accepting-request-for-the-mini) on tumblr x

**Author's Note:**

> find [this](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/post/129806993391/this-love) and [me](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/) on tumblr x


End file.
